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We can now produce a vast array of consumer goods and services, yet millions of people still live in abject poverty, struggling each day to find the basic necessities of life. In addition, mismanaged industrial expansion during this century has caused immeasurable damage to our environment, and the devastation brought about by two world wars and the many other regional and international conflicts has been unprecedented.
The question we have to ask ourselves as we enter the new millennium is: Have we as individuals become better and happier people? Have we become more loving, caring and responsible individuals? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Technology has not improved the well-being of our families and communities. Even though our knowledge of the physical world has increased, our understanding of life's spiritual dimension has changed little. The hatred that separates people, nations and races is the same as it has always been.
Where can we look for hope? Government institutions certainly do not have the answers. Should we expect them to? Nor will the ultimate solution be found in a scientific research institute or laboratory. The established religious institutions, for all their vigor and long-standing dedication, have been unable too prevent this crisis from developing. They will be hard-pressed to reverse it.
There is a contradiction in human beings that is as old as history. We all strive for joy and happiness in life, yet continue to indulge in attitudes and behaviors that lead to unhappiness or utter misery for ourselves and others. Why is it that human beings always long for peace and yet engage in so much conflict? Are love and hatred, good and evil destined to coexist, as some believe, so that lasting peace and harmony can never be achieved?
These and many other difficult questions touch on the very origin of our existence. We need a deeper understanding of the most fundamental questions of life. We also need a true and absolute standard of love and goodness to overcome the scourge of evil and selfishness which has plagued humanity throughout history.
Such answers can come only from God, yet God always works through chosen individuals on earth. This booklet explores the ways God has worked through one individual, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, to bring humanity back to our original home, a world of peace, happiness and freedom.
Sun Myung Moon was born on January 6, 1920, into a family of farmers that had tilled the land for centuries. As a boy he studied at a Confucian school and was a keen observer of the natural world. Around 1930, his parents became fervent Christians -- Presbyterians, and the young Sun Myung Moon became a Sunday school teacher.
At that time, Japan ruled Korea and only permitted practice of the Shinto religion. The religious intolerance of the militant Japanese was only a small part of the contempt they held for the Koreans, a race they believed to be inferior. The Korean people were subjected to forty years of humiliation and cruelty as part of Japan's Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. As a member of an oppressed race, Sun Myung Moon learned to hate injustice, whether among his own people or at the hands of the Japanese rulers.
Korea is a land of fervent Christian faith. Today it is well known that Korea is home to the largest Protestant churches in the world. When Reverend Billy Graham visited Korea, he was so impressed by the spiritual vitality of her churches that he predicted one day Korea would send missionaries to revive the West. Before World War II, the center of Christian activity was Pyongyang, which was called the "Jerusalem of the East." Among the spirit-filled churches were many with strong messianic expectations. These churches had received revelations that the Messiah (i.e. Christ) would be born in Korea, and they were directed in various ways to prepare to receive him.
The young Korean was stunned by this encounter, and especially by the request that had been made of him, and at first he refused. However, after deep reflection, meditation and prayer, he pledged his life to that overwhelming mission.
After personally accepting Jesus' call, the young man set out to discover its very meaning. If Jesus called him to complete his mission, it meant that Jesus' mission was incomplete. Was not salvation through the cross all that man needs? What was it that Jesus had left undone on earth? If sin is not completely solved, then what is the actual root of sin?
Sun Myung Moon studied the Bible and many other religious teachings in order to unravel these mysteries of life and human history. During this time, he went into ever deeper communion with God and entered the vast battlefield of the spirit and flesh. Through denying his personal desires he overcame temptations of knowledge, wealth and physical pleasure. He came to understand God's own suffering and His longing to be reunited with His children. He learned the difficult steps that humankind would have to take in order to return to God and establish true peace on earth.
By 1945, he had organized the teachings which came to be known
as the Divine Principle, and he began his public ministry. The
Divine Principle, the fundamental teaching of Reverend Moon and
the Unification Church, is outlined in the following pages.
Truth that Gives Life
Man and The Universe: A Mirror of God
Harmony, precision and order are characteristic of the vast cosmos.
For millions of years, the cycles of life, nature and the universe
have repeated themselves with remarkable consistency. It cannot
be that this marvelous universe was formed as the result of an
accident. Everything which exists, even the smallest particle
or cell, has some meaning and purpose. For example, every part
of the human body has a distinct, individual function and interacts
with other parts to achieve the higher purpose of sustaining life.
There must be an origin of universal purpose and design, a first
cause, which gave purpose to everything and maintains harmony
in the universe. We call this first cause, God.
How can we know anything about the first cause if it is invisible and intangible, and therefore not accessible to the probing of science? According to the scriptures of many religions, we can understood God's character by examining His handiwork, the world around us.
"Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made." (Romans 1:20)Indeed, just as an artist's personality is revealed in his or her paintings and a person's character is revealed in his or her behavior, so too God's own personality is reflected in the things which God created. This follows from the inter-relationship between cause and effect. Could a chaotic cause create a harmonious universe? Could a heartless God create a world which has great beauty in it? This would defy all logic. Therefore, we can learn about the cause, God, by studying the effect, the creation."The power of spiritual forces in the universe -- how active it is everywhere! Invisible to the eyes and impalpable to the senses, it is inherent in all things." (Confucius, Doctrine of the Mean 16)
There is a second duality which all created entities share: everything has an internal character as well as an external form. We see that on every level of existence, consciousness, reason and law shape the behavior of energy. In particular, human beings have a body that consists of cells, and a unique human mind, which enables us to think and feel in a distinctly human way.
Since everything God created has an internal character and external form, He Himself must have internal and external aspects. The external aspect of God is prime energy, which is the cause of all physical energy in the universe and thus is the cause of all matter. God has used prime energy to create, develop and sustain the cosmos. The design and purpose inherent in the creation manifest the internal aspect of God.
"So God created man in His own image, male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)To understand the internal aspect of God, we must look at ourselves, since we, as God's children, resemble Him the most. The main attributes of human character are emotion, intellect and will. We value the beauty of nature; we are delighted at the arrival of a newborn baby; we like to express our own creativity. We aspire to become knowledgeable and wise. Our conscience urges us to do good and reject evil; all parents want their children to be better than themselves. We have the capacity for selfless love and the impulse to pursue truth and goodness."The moral law begins in the relationship between man and woman, but ends in the vast reaches of the universe." (Confucius, Doctrine of the Mean 12)
From where could these common qualities and aspirations have come if not from our Creator? God is the source of the values we all cherish: love, truth, beauty and goodness. Thus, God's power is always guided by reason and lawfulness, above all by love. Heart is the essence of God's being. Heart is the impulse of love. God feels joy when He can give and receive love with His beloved. God loves each one of us individually, and rejoices when we return His love and multiply it by loving others.
A tree is fruitful when it becomes mature and bear fruit. Similarly, a fruitful individual is someone who is spiritually, intellectually and emotionally mature and bears the fruit of love, wisdom and goodness. Such an individual personifies God's own nature and heart, and naturally lives and acts in accordance with God's will.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is who bears much fruit." (John 15:5)Although humanity has fallen into spiritual mediocrity, God has never given up on us. With His help and through our own effort we will eventually achieve our full potential and experience the boundless joy and happiness for which all men and women have longed throughout history.
The second blessing of God to the first humans was to multiply. This was to be done on the foundation of individual maturity. God wanted Adam and Eve (our first ancestors) to multiply, not only descendants, but also goodness and love. He never intended for us to multiply selfishness and corruption. This means God wants to see a true, spiritually mature man marry a true, spiritually mature woman and the two together raise sinless children. Through their parents, the children are to experience God as a reality, and grow up to become mature (perfected) men and women.
In a true family, God's love blossoms on all levels: from parents to their children (parental love), between husband and wife (conjugal love), from the children towards their parents (filial love), and among the children (brotherly and sisterly love). Each member lives for the others and the whole family lives for other families in the society. Thus from a true family a harmonious and peaceful society, nation and world can be generated.
We can recognize that the strength of society lies in the strength of its families. If we cannot build healthy families, we cannot build a healthy society. If a society denies the sanctity of the traditional family -- its basic unit -- and becomes increasingly beset by divorce, free sex and homosexuality, that society will inevitably decline. This is because the prime victims of permissiveness and dysfunctional families are the children, and they are the ones who will decide the future of our communities, nations and world.
The third blessing, to have dominion, is fulfilled naturally by mature, God-centered individuals interacting with nature. God created a wonderful environment for us to live in so that we could enjoy life to the fullest. The beauty of nature is a telling expression of God's boundless love for humankind. However, God intended our interaction with the creation to be based upon love and appreciation, and not upon selfishness, neglect and exploitation. We will solve environmental problems when we free ourselves from selfishness and our societies from corruption.
"First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear." (Mark 4:28)Just as the physical world is the environment for our physical self, the spiritual world is the environment for our spiritual self. But whereas our sojourn on this earth is temporary, our life in the spirit world is eternal. Existing in both the physical and spirit worlds, each of us consists of both a spiritual self and a physical self. The spiritual self is in the subject position and gives purpose and direction to the physical self.
The physical self is composed of a physical body (made up of cells) and a physical mind (which manifests itself, for example, in the desire for food and sleep). In the same way, a person's spiritual self has both a spiritual body and a spiritual mind. As the spiritual form is identical with that of the physical body, people can be recognized by their spiritual appearance. This explains why some people who have contact with the spirit world are able to identify friends and relatives who are deceased.
"This world is like a vestibule before the world to come; prepare yourself in the vestibule that you may enter the hall." (Mishnah, Abot 4:21)The spiritual mind is the core of a person's being, containing heart, emotion, intellect and will. Through the spiritual mind God is able to communicate with us, inspire us and guide us in our growth. Spiritual growth is not automatic; the spiritual self needs the physical self for its growth. The physical self is the womb for the spirit. Each time a person acts in accordance with God's will and the principles of love and service, the spirit receives vitality from the body, experiences true joy and is able to receive more of God's love and truth and thus grow. Then, when the spiritual self has fully matured and achieved the purpose of life, its attachment to the body is no longer necessary. It can continue to live freely and eternally in the spiritual world after physical death.
If there were, in the heavens or in the earth, other gods beside God, there would have been confusion in both!There is no record of events that explains how evil came into this world. The Bible tells of Adam and Eve committing the first sin. But the story is shrouded in symbolism, and lacks clarity as to precisely what Adam and Eve did. Certainly, the sin of the first human ancestors had awesome consequences, as all their descendants have been affected by it. Reverend Moon discovered how the first human ancestors lost their relationship with God and how, consequently, their descendants were separated from God.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they suddenly covered the sexual parts of their bodies in shame (Gen. 3:7). Why did they cover their sexual parts? If Adam and Eve had sinned with their mouths by eating a literal fruit, they would have covered their mouths in shame. The Bible, in Job 31:33, says: "I have concealed my transgressions like Adam by hiding my iniquity in my bosom." These verses indicate that the sin of Adam and Eve -- eating the fruit -- was committed with their sexual parts. This means that it involved a sexual act.
Who participated in this sexual act? A serpent spoke to Eve and tricked her. Was the serpent a real snake or is it a symbol of something else? Having intelligence and the ability to communicate with humans, it must have been a spiritual creature, not an animal. It is traditionally understood that the serpent was the archangel Lucifer, who fell from heaven and became Satan (Jude 6-7; Isa. 14:12). Reverend Moon elucidated that the original sin was first, an unprincipled act of love between Lucifer and Eve, and second, a premature act of love between Eve and Adam.
Satan said, "I will take of Thy servants a portion marked off; I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires... to deface the fair nature created by God." (Qur'an 4.118)
The original fall of man was actually the distortion and destruction of true love. True love for the sake of others was meant to be the very center of human life and the essence of the kingdom of Heaven on earth. Instead, selfish love has become the way of human life and has created a kingdom of hell on earth. Sexual relations were to be the most beautiful and holy expression of the eternal love between a husband and wife. Sadly many people think that love is sex and thereby reduce both to a purely physical act. Whereas sexuality can be truly fulfilled only through the sacred relationship of marriage, today love has been so distorted that sex has become a casual recreation. Because of the misuse of sexual intimacy, celibacy has been practiced in various religions as a means to come closer to God.
The degradation of sexuality has always been a tragic phenomenon in human society, but the problem has perhaps never been so acute as in our modern age. Today, while parents, teachers and religious leaders may strive to instill the value of sexual abstinence in young people, they have to contend with the formidable influence of the commercial entertainment industry, which often relies on sexual themes and images in order to sell its wares.
Some people think that God controls human history. But, in fact, progress in human history is dependent upon us fulfilling our portion of responsibility. God's grace is forever beckoning; God's heart longs to save all His children. But as it is we who fell away from God, there is a certain foundation which is ours alone to lay.
The record of the Bible reveals that history has purpose and direction. The purpose driving history is to reverse the sin of the original family, and thus create the foundation to receive the Messiah. The goal of history is to purify human love, making possible God's ideal world of joy. To do this, God sends the Messiah, who is to solve the sin of the original family and establish the model of true love. Careful preparation is needed if the Messiah is to find a receptive environment in which to accomplish his task. The direction of history is to prepare a foundation for the Messiah. We call this hidden dimension of history "the providence of restoration."
It was many generations before God again found a righteous man whose family could be entrusted with the task of reversing the failure in Adam's family. This man was Noah. He established a foundation of faith by obeying God's order to build the ark. However, Noah's second son, Ham, instead of being loyal to his exemplary father, showed a judgmental attitude and a feeling of shame towards him. Because of his disunity, God's providence to send the Messiah was again postponed.
After 400 years, God called Abraham to separate from his fallen environment, the city of Ur, and become a wanderer in the wilderness. Abraham demonstrated absolute faith by obeying God's order to sacrifice his son Isaac. Isaac himself reversed the failure of Ham by completely uniting with his father and willingly offering his life as a sacrifice.
Jacob, Isaac's younger son, worked with his mother, Rebekah, and achieved reconciliation with his elder brother Esau, even though the latter had sworn to kill him. With this victory, God renamed Jacob "Israel" and raised the chosen people from Jacob's lineage. By bringing an end to the resentment of Esau (who, as the elder, was in the position of Cain), Jacob set the pattern for the subjugation of Satan and the restoration of God's dominion of love. God thereby chose the descendants of Jacob, who came to constitute a lineage embodying, to a relative degree, the heavenly tradition of self-sacrifice and life for the sake of others.
God then began His dispensation to establish the national foundation for the Messiah. God guided the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He gave them the law and sent numerous prophets to guide them. He revealed to Israel that one day He would send the Messiah who would inaugurate a new age of peace and justice. Israel began to long for the Messiah to come.
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
God also prepared the world internally for the coming of the Messiah. In India, Gautama Buddha rejected worldly comfort and sought the true way of life. From his example and teaching developed Buddhism, which became one of the most influential religions in the Orient. At the same time in China, Confucius appeared, teaching a highly developed ethical humanism. Concurrently, in Greece, the great classical philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle strove to establish a standard of human ethics. In these and other ways, God set the stage for the establishment of His kingdom on earth, about which Jesus so often spoken. Beginning with Israel, God's kingdom could have spread throughout the world. Jesus could have established a world of true love. The three blessings promised in the Garden of Eden would have been realized. God's purpose has never changed.
However, prophets also foretold that without the Israelites' faith, the Messiah would be forced to endure suffering and misery (Isa. 53). To prevent this outcome, God sent John the Baptist, who came to "make straight the way for the Lord." John lived an ascetic, exemplary lifestyle and was respected throughout Israel. John testified to Jesus at the Jordan River. However, he failed to follow Jesus, and later even doubted that Jesus was the Messiah (Matt. 11, John 1).
Jesus' plea from the beginning of his ministry was for people to "believe in him whom God had sent." Jesus did everything he could to convince the people that he was the son of God. Nevertheless, they refused to believe in him.
And when he saw the city he wept over it, saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But they are hid from your eyes." (Luke 19:41-42)Of course, if the people had understood who Jesus was, they never would have persecuted or rejected him. As the apostle Paul said, "None of the rulers of this age understood this [the importance of Jesus]; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory" (1 Cor. 2:8). Reverend Moon's discovery of this biblical truth came with hours of tears. No one has wept more for the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Jesus' life and his supreme sacrifice are a testimony to the power of true, sacrificial love. Until Jesus came, the popular belief was that injustice should be punished or avenged in kind -- an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Jesus showed, however, that God is not a God of vengeance, but that He is our parent who loves His children despite their sins. Yet humankind must still await the Lord of the Second Advent, who comes to eliminate sin altogether and finally establish God's kingdom on the earth.
For 2,000 years Christianity went through a historical course parallel to the 2,000 year history of biblical Israel. Today the cycle is complete and Christian history has reached its consummation. But Christian civilization is now collapsing. Why? Many Christians believe that the present time is the time of the second coming of Christ, when God will act decisively once again. Will the second coming be on the clouds? Clearly not.
Because Adam and Eve did not fulfill God's ideal, and because Jesus was prevented from bringing God's kingdom on earth (as a result of being rejected by his contemporaries), the Messiah will come again as the physical third Adam to complete Jesus' task. Since the Messiah is to be the example of perfected individuality -- thereby fulfilling the first blessing -- he must be born on earth, as were Adam and Jesus. To fulfill the second blessing, he must marry, and establish an ideal family with his bride. He must also, in a practical way, guide humanity in overcoming the conflicts between nations, races, religions and cultures, finally bringing about a world of lasting peace.
The Divine Principle teaches that the Lord of the Second Advent
was born around 1920 in Korea. But as with Jesus 2,000 years
ago, he can expect to meet persecution and misunderstanding.
In fact, Jesus himself warned of this when he asked: "When the
Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
The Wilderness Course
As World War II drew to a close, Reverend Moon, who had been jailed
as a member of the Korean independence movement while studying
at a Japanese university, returned to his native land.
With the end of Japanese rule, he contacted other Christians and offered to work with them to build God's kingdom on the earth. American Christian missionaries had also heard of this young teacher, and disregarded him as a "country preacher." Korean ministers, jealous of the young man's appeal with their members, rejected him and accused him of espousing false teachings. Because the Christian churches failed to embrace him, Reverend Moon realized that he would have to walk the lonely path of a pioneer.
Subsequently, he was called by God to travel to the communist north. There, he began to teach publicly, despite the dangers of doing so in a country where religion was not welcome. As a poor preacher who looked at the Bible in a new way, Reverend Moon was more vulnerable than the established churches, and, not surprisingly, was one of the first to come under attack from the local communists.
Charged with disturbing the social order, in November 1946, the young minister was imprisoned and tortured. The police thought him dead and threw his body into the prison yard. Some of his followers found him and carried him away to tend to his broken body. Miraculously, Reverend Moon survived and regained his strength. Undaunted, he began preaching in public again.
In April 1948, he was arrested again and sentenced to five years of hard labor in Hungnam prison. He was among the first of Christian ministers sent to the Soviet-style North Korean gulag. Hungnam was an extermination camp where prisoners were deliberately worked to death (prisoners were forced to load heavy bags of corrosive lime, which slowly ate away their skin). Few lasted more than six months. Yet in that miserable concentration camp, Reverend Moon survived for nearly three years. Although he didn't speak a word of the Divine Principle, many of his fellow prisoners came to him for spiritual strength and became his disciples.
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army invaded the South in a lightning attempting to unify the entire peninsula by force. UN and American forces, under Gen. Douglas MacArthur, rescued the beleaguered South. One month after the capture of Seoul, UN forces reached the gates of Hungnam prison. In the meantime, the communist prison authorities had begun to execute the prisoners. The prison camp was liberated the morning of Reverend Moon's scheduled execution.
Despite his brutal prison camp experience, Reverend Moon did not immediately flee to the South. Instead, he returned to Pyongyang and spent forty days searching for the members of his scattered flock. He eventually found a few members and then traveled south on foot with two of them. In the port city of Pusan, Reverend Moon and one disciple built the first Unification Church from discarded army ration boxes. At that time, he told his small following that one day the message of the Divine Principle would be spread all over the world. He prophesied that people from all over the world would venerate that hillside. Reverend Moon's prophecy sounded unbelievable. Yet, it came true. Tens of thousands of people, including 7,000 ministers from America, have made a pilgrimage to the spot. How did this come about?
The church immediately attracted followers from a major Christian women's university, Ihwa University, a school closely linked with the Korean government and with the mainline Protestant denominations. Because many students were joining the church, the school sent professors to investigate. When several professors also joined, instead of sincerely welcoming this new church, the school persecuted it. The university president ordered the professors and students either to leave the church or leave the school.
Coincidentally, newspapers in Seoul suddenly began too print alarming stories about the Unification Church, about sex orgies and Reverend Moon being a North Korean agent. Reverend Moon was thrown in jail, to be released weeks later when no charges could be found. Again the following years he was thrown in jail on charges of evading the military draft, even though during the time in question he had been in Hungnam prison. After several months confinement -- and sensational media coverage -- the charges were dropped. His release received scant notice in the press. Thus began the pattern of collusion between religious leaders, government and the media to suppress Reverend Moon and his church.
The family of disciples was the foundation upon which the holy wedding, the marriage of the Lamb foretold in the Book of Revelation, could take place. On March 16, 1960, Reverend Moon was blessed in holy marriage to Hak Ja Han. This marked the beginning of the restoration of humankind back into God's lineage. By the power of God and sacrificial love, Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han established the position of True Parents. They are the first couple to have the complete blessing of God, and to be able to bring forth children with no original sin.
Hak Ja Han and her mother, a devout Christian, had also fled south during the Korean War. They soon thereafter joined the Unification Church. At the age of seventeen, Miss Han dedicated herself to the mission of bride of the Messiah. She has, with unwavering courage and dignity, stood by her husband through every hardship.
All people, whether previously married or single, can receive the blessing of God upon their marriages through Reverend and Mrs. Moon standing as the True Parents. The number of couples who have received this blessing has grown from 36 in 1960, to 8,000 in 1982, to 30,000 in 1992.
The large weddings represent the unity of humankind by joining together men and women of different races and nationalities. Reverend Moon teaches that through the blessing, fallen men and women can be engrafted into the true lineage of God. Consequently, for fallen humanity, which traces its roots to the false lineage created by Adam and Eve, the blessing is the greatest hope. The couples blessed by Reverend and Mrs. Moon accept God's call to establish ideal, God-centered families. The establishment of ideal families is the starting point for the building of a peaceful world.
In was clear to Reverent Moon that America had drifted from its original ideals. Therefore, he conducted a "Day of Hope" speaking tour throughout America in the early 1970s with the purpose of reviving traditional Judeo-Christian values. In 1974, he spoke to an overflow crowd in New York's Madison Square Garden. He then preached in all fifty states, hosting banquets for thousands of society's leaders and maintaining an exhausting schedule his message and dedicated themselves to God's providence.
Reverend Moon was invited to the White House, where he met with President Richard Nixon. On two occasions, he addressed members of the US Congress, both in the House and Senate. In 1975, he continued his Day of Hope festivals in Japan and Korea, concluding with a rally at Youido Island near Seoul which was attended by 1.2 million people. Also in 1975, Reverend Moon sent missionaries to 120 countries, making the Unification Church a world wide faith.
During the United States' bicentennial in 1976, Reverend Moon spoke to an enthusiastic crowd in Yankee Stadium. Shortly thereafter, he organized the greatest religious rally ever assembled in Washington, D.C. Over 300,000 people of all creeds and colors came to hear him speak at the "God Bless America Festival." At this historic rally, Reverend Moon called upon America to fulfill its blessing as one nation under God, and to create "one world under God."
His appeal was met with scorn. He became an easy target for the now hostile media. The fair and objective articles of the past were replaced by ones which portrayed Reverend Moon and his church in the worst possible light. All sorts of allegations from Korea were dug up. In this atmosphere of hysteria, the enthusiasm and idealism of his young followers was reinterpreted as brainwashing. Reverend Moon was portrayed as a hypnotist and an agent of a foreign government. Religious and racial bigotry and persecution, a phenomenon in the United States as old as the country itself, showed its ugly face.
Even though America was founded for the sake of establishing religious freedom, not every American has been willing to extend that freedom to others. Quakers were tried and hanged in New England and Baptists were run out of Massachusetts. The founder of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, was murdered in Illinois and his followers were forced into the desert. Jews and Catholics were looked upon as tools of foreign powers engaged in international conspiracies. Regrettably, religious intolerance is still with us today. The Unification Church has borne the brunt of it in America over the last two decades.
Meanwhile, a five-year IRS investigation finally produced a politically-crafted indictment against Reverend Moon. This indictment, handed down in 1981, charged him with evading income taxes nearly a decade earlier, as well as conspiracy to avoid those taxes. The government's purpose, however, was to force Reverend Moon to leave America.
When the indictment was handed down, Reverend Moon was in Korea. His lawyers recommended that he not come back to America, since there is no extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea. However, he did not follow their advice. He was, after all, a man of God, not a criminal fleeing the law. He immediately returned to the United States. He told his counsel: "I will not abandon my mission in America. That I will never do."
"I came to bring this nation closer to God. I pledged my entire heart and soul to that purpose. Today's America is comparable to Rome of the first century. Unless we ignite a spiritual revival in this country, the future of the world will be very bleak." (Reverend Moon, 1972)Upon arriving in New York for the Federal District Court arraignment he spoke only one sentence: "Your Honor, I am not guilty." The outcome of the trial was a foregone conclusion. He was convicted and sentenced to spend eighteen months in a federal prison. When, despite forty amicus briefs from mainline Christian leaders, legal associations, civil liberty groups and state governments, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, he prepared to go to jail.
The US Justice Department wanted to negotiate with Reverend Moon's attorneys. On the condition that Reverend Moon depart for Korea and never come back to the United States, they said, the government would waive his prison sentence. He flatly refused. His comment was, "It must be God's will that I go to prison. There must be a providential reason why I must go this way."
Some of the inmates openly defended him. One of them, Ed Farmer, wrote a letter about his experiences with Reverend Moon in Danbury.
I was fortunate. I only had to be in Danbury for three months. I knew I was going, and I knew Reverend Moon was there. They had it in the paper every other day. I was curious. As it turned out, I was in the cubicle right next to Reverend Moon's, five feet away. Reverend Moon has a very good sense of humor. It's hard for me to think of a person as being mean or brainwashing people with the sense of humor he has. He truly loves people. I mean, he likes being with them. He likes being kidded, he likes being teased. I never saw a mean act on his part. He never asked for special treatment. He mopped floors, cleaned tables, and he helped other people when he was finished with his job.In the meantime, protests were being made all around the nation over the injustice Reverend Moon was suffering. Many Christian leaders who never knew or cared about him began to realize that the government had made a serious assault on religious freedom. Altogether, Christians and non-religious groups representing over 160 million Americans came to his legal defense. A Senate subcommittee, chaired by Senator Orrin Hatch, conducted its own investigation into Reverend Moon's tax cases and published its findings in a report which concluded:When you'd be down in spirit, he's come along, pat you on the back, and smile and laugh. He doesn't put on a face today, or put on generosity or kindness today and then not tomorrow. Reverend Moon is Reverend Moon, a very steady, ongoing force. I think that man could be happy wherever he went. He carries his religion with him. He doesn't need a book. Everyone feels it. It's very evident.
Reverend Moon has never complained about what the government did to him. He has never accused the government of a witch-hunt, mainly I think because he refuses to dignify it. I find it almost impossible to believe the stories that they spread about him, after having met him. That man would not do those things, it's impossible. My own personal belief is that it was a witch-hunt.
We accused a newcomer to our shores of criminal and intentional wrongdoing for conduct commonly engaged in by a large percentage of our own religious leaders, namely, the holding of church funds in bank accounts in their own names. Catholic priests do it. Baptist ministers do it, and so did Sun Myung Moon.The Washington Post: "...personal attacks against him are similar in meanness and bias to those vented historically against Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders when they were newcomers bringing a minority religion into the community."No matter how we view it, it remains a fact that we charged a non-English-speaking alien with criminal tax evasion on the first tax returns he filed in this country. It appears that we didn't give him a fair chance to understand our laws. We didn't seek a civil penalty as an initial means of redress. We didn't give him the benefit of any doubt. Rather, we took a novel theory of tax liability of less than $10,000 and turned it into a guilty verdict and eighteen months in a federal prison.
I do feel strongly, after my subcommittee has carefully and objectively reviewed this [Reverend Moon's tax] case from both sides, that injustice rather than justice has been served. The Moon case sends a strong signal that if one's views are unpopular enough, this country will find a way not to tolerate, but to convict. I don't believe that you or I or anyone else, no matter how innocent, could realistically prevail against the combined forces of our Justice Department and judicial branch in a case such as Reverend Moon's
While her husband was in prison, Mrs. Moon rallied and comforted
the worldwide church, and traveled hours each week to visit him
in prison. On August 20, 1985, Reverend Moon was freed after
completing thirteen months of incarceration. Upon his release,
major Christian and civil rights leaders, including Reverend Jerry
Falwell of the Moral Majority and Reverend Joseph Lowry of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, held a press conference
to decry the persecution and imprisonment of the Reverend Moon
and to welcome him back.
God's Will and World Peace
In 1945, Christian Churches were in the position to create a world
of peace. In fact, Christians led the way in creating global
organizations such as the United Nations and the World Council
of Churches. But because Christianity did not recognize the advent
of the Messiah, the blessing of God could not fully abide with
these things. Despite all their accomplishments, these organizations
have not bridged the gaps between races, nations and religions.
Since 1945, the Christian economic sphere has increasingly heeded
man's materialistic and hedonistic drives, while neglecting the
problem of poverty among the poor of all races and nations. The
Christian political sphere has gradually lost its vitality and
we have seen the erosion of social justice, traditional values
and common decency.
Recognizing this problem, Reverend Moon took upon himself the regeneration of the Christian foundation through the Unification Church. With the church at the core, God inspired him to create anew institutions of peace. These institutions, religious, academic, political and cultural, transcend the bounds of race, religion and nation. They were all created to manifest the ideals of God's kingdom on the earth. This is the common thread running through this diverse set of organizations.
"ICUS is the only world occasion where scholars from diverse disciplines can come together to discuss mutual interactions in their work as a multidisciplinary attack on global problems." (Dr. Alexander King, President of the Club of Rome)
The Unification Church (which is not an orthodox church) does more for the interfaith movement at an international level than do either the World Council of Churches' Dialogue unit of the Roman Catholic Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians, or both of them put together.IRF and IRFWP sponsor the quadrennial Assembly of the World's Religions. The assemblies bring together spiritual teachers, scholars, lay leaders and young people. The second assembly initiated an unprecedented dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Many leading Muslims, through study of the Divine Principle, have come to see Christianity in a new light.
IRF also co-sponsors the Religious Youth Service, which brings together young people of diverse religions for shared worship, study and public service work. They have built schools, community centers and fresh-water systems among other projects. The real building, however, is the bond of friendship, trust and mutual respect among the young people of many faiths.
Reverend Moon directed the compilation of World Scriptures, a 900-page volume which brings out the similarities in the scriptures of all the main religions of the world. He highly respects other religious traditions as having been inspired by God for the sake of the spiritual growth of humankind.
Causa International, established in 1980, clarifies the ideological and practical fallacies of Marxism-Leninism. It promotes a God-affirming moral perspective as an effective counterproposal. This organization has contributed significantly to bringing about the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
With the demise of communism, Reverend Moon has initiated the Federation for World Peace, the Summit Council for World Peace and the Association for the Unity of Latin America to develop a consensus regarding the underlying moral principles which govern the affairs of men and nations. These groups provide a meeting place for world leaders to address complex issues such as third world development, the democratization of Eastern Europe, the AIDS epidemic, Korean unification and the future of liberal democracy.
Commenting on the scope of these activities, Ambassador Douglas MacArthur II remarked:
Forty years ago, my uncle, General Douglas MacArthur, said the fundamental problem which lies before us in the latter part of the twentieth century is a theological problem that would require the rebirth of human spirit. At that time he also put forth both a warning and a challenge. He said that if mankind did not rise to meet this test, then Armageddon would be at our door.Over the years, I have been fascinated to observe that Reverend Moon's life work has not just been devoted to religious theology and doctrine, but also to practical activities relating to the rebirth of the human spirit. His approaches to awakening and refreshing our hopes are practical applications of cooperation, brotherhood and unity that involve neither military conquest nor surrender.
The World Media Association brings journalists together to discuss the role of the media in resolving conflict and promoting understanding. It emphasizes that the media must be responsible and accountable in its coverage of world affairs. Implementing these very ideals, Reverend Moon has established newspapers and magazines to serve and educate the public with a commitment to truth and objectivity: The Segye Ilbo in Seoul, Sekai Nippo in Tokyo, The Washington Times, Insight and The World & I magazines in Washington D.C., Noticias Del Mundo in New York and Los Angeles, The Middle East Times in Athens and Ultimas Noticias in Montevideo.
The International Leadership Seminar (ILS) program brings together students and professors from around the world. ILS sponsored the travel of 3,000 Soviet university students and professors to America, during 1990 and 1991, in by far the largest exchange program between the two countries at that historic juncture. It was reported that many of these ILS graduates subsequently manned the barricades to defend democracy during the abortive communist coup.
Since 1990, the ILS has sponsored seminars in the Commonwealth of Independent States for more than 60,000 students. Russian leaders and students, having rejected communism, are receptive to the Unification world view. Its international vision of one world family helps students to transcend the ethnic hostilities that plague the nations of the former Soviet Union. In addition it explains God and spiritual values in a rational way that is well suited to their scientific thinking. Through practical training in teaching and serving others, students develop effective leadership abilities for the 21st century.
Reverend Moon has founded schools of higher education. The Unification Theological Seminary in New York was founded in 1975, and the Songhwa University in South Korea in 1988. The seminary's diverse faculty includes Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish professors providing an education of exceptional breadth.
The Professor World Peace Academy (PWPA) was founded in 1973 to bring together scholars from around the world to find peaceful solutions to problems that pose the threat of war of violence. The first PWPA meetings brought together scholars from Korea and Japan, two historically enemy nations. The organization now has chapters in over 100 countries. PWPA aims to establish a worldwide network of universities which can provide an intercultural educational perspective. In April 1992, PWPA began this project with the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
"Art is like a flower for man's mind. It blossoms and permeates its fragrances throughout our lives and society. It connects all men together through their hearts." (Reverend Sun Myung Moon)With the vision of developing a major performing arts facility, the Manhattan Opera House was purchased in 1976. By 1978, a full production stage was built there for live performance, recording and television production. Manhattan Center Studios, as it is now called, is a favorite recording studio for major orchestras and individual artists ranging from classical to contemporary. The Manhattan Center, Atlantic Video and Japan's Universal One television station are the beginnings of a global network of video and audio performance and production centers.
With these and many other projects, Reverend Moon is developing resources in all areas of human life. By embodying the spirit and teachings of the Divine Principle, they are instruments for harmonizing the world's cultures, peoples and nations. However, in order to dwell in peace as one family, brothers and sisters need parents.
"A prophet moves religion and the world to new heights. He disturbs the status quo, the accepted mores and practices and the complacent beliefs. Jesus was a prophet, so were Mohammed and Buddha, and so is Reverend Moon." (Dr. Osborne Scott, City University of New York)"Become acquainted with the scope of Reverend Moon's activities. Study to understand the vision he offers you for the future, and then decide for yourself if you see God's hand moving there." (Dr. Frederick Sontag, Professor of Philosophy, Pomona College)
"It is truly astonishing when we are confronted by an inspired religious leader whose vocation is in the process of unfolding in our times and even before our very eyes. The spiritual power is there, and, whatever may be the religious tradition in which we are rooted, we feel it... Of one thing concerning your messianic vision I am certain: without it, your original tiny church in Pusan would never have become the worldwide religious force for for human betterment you now lead." (Dr. Richard L. Rubenstein, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Religion, Florida State University)
In 1990, Reverend Moon organized a major meeting of government and media in Moscow. This fulfilled a pledge he had made in 1976 that one day he would organize a "great rally for God in Moscow." During this conference, on their thirtieth wedding anniversary, Reverend and Mrs. Moon embraced President Mikhail Gorbachev. Through several interviews, televised and in print, they gave a message of hope to the Soviet people, urging them to turn toward God.
A crucial step for the establishment of world peace is the reunification of North and South Korea. Risking his life, Reverend Moon traveled to North Korea in December 1991, and met with President Kim Il Sung, under whose regime he had been tortured and sent to a labor camp. His purpose was to seek ways to bridge the gap between the two countries. But deeper than that, this was the providential meeting of Cain and Abel on the world wide level. The North Korean ruler, who had suppressed religion for forty years, completely welcomed Reverend and Mrs. Moon.
On a tearful yet joyful day, Reverend Moon returned to his hometown, to the house of his birth. He put flowers on the graves of his parents, who had died during his long wilderness course. He was welcomed with tears of joy by his surviving relatives.
"History is calling for reconciliation, compassion, love, service and sacrifice. Today's problems cannot be solved by the 'logic of power... our present problems can only be solved by the logic of love" (Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon)The Women's Federation brings women together to take action for the moral education and healing of our families and society. By nurturing the pure root of true love between husband and wife, the women of the world will bring harmony and blessing to their families. This in turn will lead to societies, nations and a world of peace.
Ladies and Gentlemen, what is the Messiah? The Messiah is the True Parents of humankind. God's original plan was to establish perfected Adam and Eve as the true ancestors of humanity. Satan, however, invaded this ideal, and God, ever since, has been working toward the emergence of ideal True Parents through which all humankind can be restored. As true fathers and true mothers ourselves, we must vanquish Satan, liberate humanity and build the kingdom of Heaven on earth. As God's sons and daughters we must inherit God's love, life and lineage. Moreover, we must also inherit True Parents' love, life and lineage. Then we will have achieved unity between heaven and earth, vertical and horizontal, and mind and body. This will be the starting point for the eternal world of peace.The following year saw an even greater activism on the part of Mrs. Moon, as she delivered the address, "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age" in 44 cities in America, 27 cities in Japan, on 40 university campuses in Korea, and in 41 nations around the world. This monumental achievement included such notable venues as Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United Nations in New York City, the Kremlin, and congressional buildings in Japan, Korea, and Canada.
With absolute faith, hope and love, Reverend Moon has dedicated himself to the call of Jesus. Through God's power and Principle, despite persecution, he has accomplished the work which Jesus called him to do. First, after a long search, he discovered the teachings of the Divine Principle: God's ideal for humanity, the root of evil, and the formula to restore the ideal. Next, he tried to explain his insights to the established Christian churches, but when they rejected him, he began the lonely and difficult path of a prophet in the wilderness. For over forty years, amidst persecution and ridicule, he established a church reaching out to people across the globe.
Tens of thousands of Unificationist families, sanctified by God's blessing, are practicing a quality of love which transcends all racial and national barriers. Organizations founded by Reverend Moon in education, the arts, science, communications and international affairs show how every aspect of human life can be centered on God's true love. Reverend Moon has emerged on the world stage to demonstrate God's true heart by loving and embracing his enemies, the leaders of North Korea and the Soviet Union, who once had imprisoned him and sought to kill him. He has brought together the leaders of warring religions.
True love has now triumphed over evil. All the satanic barriers have been broken down. The Completed Testament Age has dawned. God's true love, which was lost at the fall of man, has made its triumphant reappearance in the world. This love is the power of new life for all individuals, marriages and families the world over.
We pray that this brief testimony to the providence of God will
inspire the reader to study further, and to make a personal commitment
to building the kingdom of Heaven on earth.
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